Kay Baker offers a look at the needs and manifestations (observed characteristics) of the developing human being, specifically of the second-plane child. She outlines key ideas in thinking about these needs and manifestations and discerns the pedagogy associated with each. She emphasizes that the pedagogy/practice must meet the needs of the child.…

This paper examines the experiences of educators at a progressive independent elementary school engaged in a collaborative action research project to learn about social class. Rooted in a framework of radical economic education, their study group had a positive impact on their confidence and content knowledge and mapped the significant challenges…

Laurie Ewert-Krocker emphasizes the teacher's role in nature's prepared environment. Without directing or controlling the child's work, learning spaces can be maximized for concentration by connecting the adolescent's intrinsic learning to the beauty and order of the natural world. The most artful balance is the global understanding of the…

Polli Soholt points to normalization in the first plane as leading to the successful realization of the human personality, which is the basis of social development. Children who have cultivated concentration and purposeful work at an early age develop the virtues to become world citizens. Normalization can be assisted by certain practices: 1)…

It is suspected that educators have many interpretations of developmentally appropriate practice and, therefore, a wide variety of practices exist in classrooms labeled "developmentally appropriate." This study investigated daily practices of 10 full-day public school kindergarten programs identified as "developmentally appropriate" by teachers or…

This paper presents a systematic progression of small-sided games within two traditional sports units (soccer and volleyball). Developmentally appropriate guidelines encourage teachers at all levels to incorporate small-sided games (2v2, 3v3, and 4v4). Advantages of small-sided games include: allowing students numerous practice opportunities;…

This study examined kindergarten retention rates and their relationship to teacher beliefs and classroom practice. Data from a sub-sample of 22 teachers in a rural Georgia school district, who were classified as exhibiting either high or low levels of developmental appropriateness in their teaching, suggested that teachers whose practices were…

Although bound by tradition and physical location to elementary schooling, the primary grades are also considered the capstone experience of early childhood education. Primary grade teachers are required to bridge these two disparate worlds, constantly mediating, negotiating, translating, and compromising. This paper describes the experience of…

A survey of 27 principals, 45 kindergarten teachers, 86 primary teachers, and 57 preservice teachers was designed to determine whether teachers instruct kindergarten children and elementary school students differently. Subjects were asked about benefits of free exploration of materials, child-selected activities, use of props in play, social…

This preliminary study aimed to develop measures that could be used to differentiate kindergartens employing developmentally appropriate and inappropriate instructional practices, and explore the relationship between appropriate and inappropriate practices and stress behaviors of 37 kindergarten children. Four instruments were used to gather data:…

This paper presents an overview of the life and ideas of John Comenius (1592-1670) and compares practices advanced by the National Association for the Education of Young Children (NAEYC) with principles advocated by Comenius. Comenius' educational plans called for education to begin at birth and continue to adulthood. Education was divided into…

This thesis examined the relationship between the level of endorsement of developmentally appropriate practice (DAP) by 14 second-grade teachers and the construction of self-concept of children in their classrooms. Teachers were given the Primary Teacher Questionnaire, a beliefs scale that assesses the level of endorsement of DAP, and were…

Written by a retired kindergarten teacher with 25 years of experience, this paper presents the text for a video demonstration of at-home sensory activities to stimulate development in children from birth to age 5. The introduction notes recent research indicating that learning begins at birth, and explores the effect of early stimulation on…

This paper outlines 22 principles of practice that serve as criteria by which to judge the developmental appropriateness of an early childhood curriculum. The principles lead to the assertion that young children as learners are greatly supported when a "project approach" is used--e.g., when their early childhood education experience…

This article: (1) profiles kindergarten policies and practices currently implemented in district schools; (2) analyzes the research supporting the major policy alternatives for six common kindergarten and school entry age issues that all school districts must address; and (3) identifies the optimum policy option alternative for each issue based on…